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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. can — a tin
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. perch — the fish
  6. can — a tin
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. scale — size or range
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rash — a series
  15. can — to be able to
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rash — hasty
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. scale — in music
  24. trunk — of an elephant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com